Good Mechanic

Topic: Good Mechanic (Read 1225 times) previous topic - next topic

Good Mechanic

January 20, 2014, 03:54:54 pm

Hello all, I am currently in the Bradenton, FL area and I was wondering if someone knew of a good trustworthy diesel mechanic. Perhaps one that is familiar with foretravels and won't do something like overlube the brakes that I am now reading about. I've done all my own work on my various BMW's even engine rebuilds so I'm not scared but the size and the expense of the ISM is intimidating to me. I want to have the 11" blocks to raise the coach and work under it safely made, but I'm not sure where/how. I am far more concerned with knowledge than price and I would pay any of you who is experienced to show me the ropes as well. I was looking for someone to do engine oil & filter (where on earth can you find 9-10 gallons of Rotella T6?), hyd oil and filter, coolant & filter (what is recommended these days, it currently has a pinkish OAT coolant I believe. I was planning on Fleetguard compleat ES), fuel filter, fuel water separator, and radiator couplers since they are cracked while the coolant is drained, also pure air service and perhaps brake lube if it needs done. I'll probably handle the genset myself. Anything I am missing? Coach is a 1999 with 41K and has been neglected a tiny bit (no service since 2010 but only 7K miles). Coolant filter (and not coolant) was done in 2010 and they put on the 2071 filter. From what I ready they are supposed to use the fleetguard WF2123 filter because it holds up to long service better. It looks more and more like cummins own people aren't that good. At least cummins tampa. I am also looking for someone who might be able to do injector o-rings or inspect the front seal on the fuel pump as I am getting what I think is fuel in the oil (it's overfilled now after 150 miles driving).

Also does anyone know what the muffler shaped cylinder is behind the radiator that is inline with the lower radiator hose? I am guessing hydraulic oil cooler but not sure.

Also all of the rubber on the steering arm ball joints are worn and showing shiny greasy metal. Do you just replace the tie rods? Can you do this without an alignment rack by counting threads? I mean these don't control wheel to wheel alignment since htey connect the steering box to the front left wheel.

Re: Good Mechanic

Reply #1 – January 20, 2014, 04:01:36 pm

Parliament coach, st Petersburg, ask for Chris

Re: Good Mechanic

Reply #2 – January 20, 2014, 04:15:34 pm

Paul Yasbeck- in Leesburg,Fl is former Foretravel factory trained tech. is widely used by many of us in around Fl. May even come out to you if within driveable distance!
Call 813-382-o869 and leave message with short description of your prob. and wait for his call.
Ed Pan

Re: Good Mechanic

Reply #3 – January 20, 2014, 04:23:05 pm

X2 Parliament

Re: Good Mechanic

Reply #4 – January 20, 2014, 04:51:41 pm

Quote from: piku – January 20, 2014, 03:54:54 pm

Also all of the rubber on the steering arm ball joints are worn and showing shiny greasy metal. Do you just replace the tie rods? Can you do this without an alignment rack by counting threads? I mean these don't control wheel to wheel alignment since htey connect the steering box to the front left wheel.

Will they have to be replaced-- yes, eventually.

But their life can be extended for YEARS by just keeping them greased.

My observation is to replace them only if there is play in them.

Takes less than 3 minutes to check them:

With the engine off, have someone turn the steering wheel back and forth-- through 25-30 degrees in each direction. Look at each joint starting at the steering box/drag link and ending at the right wheel for any play that the "steering wheel" side has that is not moving the "wheel side" the same amount.

Brett

Re: Good Mechanic

Reply #5 – January 20, 2014, 08:02:42 pm

Piku, that "muffler shaped thing" is your Allison retarder accumulator, and should have an air valve on the end if it.

John h

Re: Good Mechanic

Reply #6 – January 20, 2014, 08:37:40 pm

I sent you a e-mail/message with my phone number.

Re: Good Mechanic

Reply #7 – January 21, 2014, 10:45:53 am

Connolly Buick on Cortez Ave. was at one time a Foretravel dealer(@15yrs ago). May still have someone knowledgeable. Norm

Re: Good Mechanic

Reply #8 – January 21, 2014, 11:02:37 am

PIKU, I would suggest that your first order of business is to solve the FUEL in OIL problem. If an 8.3 I don't believe that problems with injector pump will allow fuel to get into pan. I would get Cummins opinion before I drove it, no sense in busting up an expensive engine. JMHO
Gary B

Re: Good Mechanic

Reply #9 – January 21, 2014, 11:16:35 am

Gary, absolutely that is my first order of business. It's an M11 ISM. I'm waiting on oil analysis to confirm there is fuel in the oil. Don't want to chase a ghost though I don't know how the oil level would rise otherwise. I think coolant would turn to a lovely milkshake consistency pretty quickly. I'm still hunting a mobile mechanic who can come and pressurize the pump and rail to look for leaks. And thank you all for your help btw. I am considering all my options before I get down to business.

Another thing that concerns me is that the coach has done a lot of low rpm idling recently on the dealer lot while they fixed the a/c and had alternator charging issues so I'm tempted to change the oil and run it to see. My friend with a cat C12 insists it is injector o-rings but he had massive oil pressure drop VERY quickly. Mine was still above spec technically but it's obvious something is going on nonetheless. I haven't run it since other than to stir up the oil to pull a sample.

Re: Good Mechanic

Reply #10 – January 21, 2014, 12:10:35 pm

Quote from: piku – January 21, 2014, 11:16:35 am

Gary, absolutely that is my first order of business. It's an M11 ISM. I'm waiting on oil analysis to confirm there is fuel in the oil. Don't want to chase a ghost though I don't know how the oil level would rise otherwise. I think coolant would turn to a lovely milkshake consistency pretty quickly. I'm still hunting a mobile mechanic who can come and pressurize the pump and rail to look for leaks. And thank you all for your help btw. I am considering all my options before I get down to business.

Another thing that concerns me is that the coach has done a lot of low rpm idling recently on the dealer lot while they fixed the a/c and had alternator charging issues so I'm tempted to change the oil and run it to see. My friend with a cat C12 insists it is injector o-rings but he had massive oil pressure drop VERY quickly. Mine was still above spec technically but it's obvious something is going on nonetheless. I haven't run it since other than to stir up the oil to pull a sample.

Maybe I have a problem I am not aware of? My m11 celect plus in my 97 runs 32psi down the road for the last 10k miles I have owned it.

Checked the oil level and its dead on at the exact mark on the dipstick as when changed a thousand miles ago.

Previous owner was a marine engine guy. And he used a silverleaf I have not bothered with yet.

Do I have an issue I should be aware of?

Bob

Re: Good Mechanic

Reply #11 – January 21, 2014, 03:02:14 pm

Hi Piku,
What oil pressure are you thinking the M-11 should have? I have been seeing mostly mid thirties for about ten years. The M-11 does not have higher oil pressures like the 8.3 or 5.9 Cummins engines.
Raymond

Re: Good Mechanic

Reply #12 – January 21, 2014, 06:58:41 pm

I asked cummins on oil pressure. Your alarm is set by FT at about 20. Cummins says we need 11psi plus.

Re: Good Mechanic

Reply #13 – January 21, 2014, 08:01:01 pm

Cummins minimum acceptable oil pressure for this engine is 30 psi. On forums, many people say 32psi is cause for concern. When I first started driving it I was getting 38psi. On the dyno it was doing 40psi as per the printout. I remember watching the gauge sitting around 38psi the whole way to tampa. Do I have a genuine oil pressure problem? No, but watching for a reduced pressure alerted me to fuel dilution. If you have lower than normal oil pressure read up about the drama surrounding the fleetguard LF9080 o-ring problem. Pieces of the o-rings get caught up in the piston skirt cooling jets and clog them causing engine failure.

Re: Good Mechanic

Reply #14 – January 21, 2014, 08:34:26 pm

Quote from: piku – January 21, 2014, 08:01:01 pm

Cummins minimum acceptable oil pressure for this engine is 30 psi. On forums, many people say 32psi is cause for concern. When I first started driving it I was getting 38psi. On the dyno it was doing 40psi as per the printout. I remember watching the gauge sitting around 38psi the whole way to tampa. Do I have a genuine oil pressure problem? No, but watching for a reduced pressure alerted me to fuel dilution. If you have lower than normal oil pressure read up about the drama surrounding the fleetguard LF9080 o-ring problem. Pieces of the o-rings get caught up in the piston skirt cooling jets and clog them causing engine failure.

Very possible the gauges on the dash do not match the engine?

Re: Good Mechanic

Reply #15 – January 21, 2014, 09:00:02 pm

Possible - but in my case I saw the pressure being much higher on a previous drive.

Re: Good Mechanic

Reply #16 – January 21, 2014, 10:27:09 pm

Quote from: piku – January 21, 2014, 09:00:02 pm

Possible - but in my case I saw the pressure being much higher on a previous drive.

My dash gauges did have intermittent readings from slightly loose connections. Many variables to get a gauge to register.

But your noting of an overfill condition is another clue I think.

Just not sure if the 32 psi my gauge shows is a worry after 110k miles in total with 10k by us....

Interesting info.

Mine was checked by two different cummins dealers one of which changed the oil and filters.

Did not think to ask if 32 was normal. Would the engine controls not warn is that was low?

A remote gauge mounted on the engine might be useful in analysis. I see portable back up camera setups that could be mounted temporarily in the engine compartment and pointed at an engine mounted gauge. Then reused to help backing up for a trailer or tow car use? Or use a silverleaf setup as I imagine it shows oil pressure.

Re: Good Mechanic

Reply #17 – January 21, 2014, 11:42:53 pm

My M11 oil pressure has consistently run in the 30's on the silverleaf and have been told by several mechanics this is normal when the oil is at normal temperature.

Re: Good Mechanic

Reply #18 – January 22, 2014, 07:42:45 am

And shut engine comes on at less then 11.

Re: Good Mechanic

Reply #19 – January 23, 2014, 09:48:07 pm

The oil analysis came back and showed no fuel or coolant in the oil so it's difficult to say what happened. But oh well. I decided to attempt to do most of the work myself. My wife reminded me that even if we buy and throw away drain pans, transfer pumps, etc it will still be far cheaper than paying for the service. I will still use a mechanic for the transynd though. If they have the machine it should be cheaper than the allison approved process of throwing away gallons and gallons of transynd to dilute the remaining fluid in the transmission.

Re: Good Mechanic

Reply #20 – January 24, 2014, 09:31:13 am

If my coach became disabled, I would consult the experienced folks on this forum first to find a good mechanic. Failing that, I would look at the site RV Service Reviews:

RV Service Reviews

Re: Good Mechanic

Reply #21 – January 24, 2014, 10:28:47 am

Quote from: piku – January 23, 2014, 09:48:07 pm

If they have the machine it should be cheaper than the allison approved process of throwing away gallons and gallons of transynd to dilute the remaining fluid in the transmission.

There is a technique for getting the old fluid out that I used, don't recall all details but basically drain and fill, disconnect one line, start engine until you see new Transynd. Also, the newer engines have gone to a high volume low pressure oiling system. 30 psi on many engines is at the upper end of recommended pressure, not sure about yours but a check with Cummins might be in order before ripping into it.

Re: Good Mechanic

Reply #22 – January 24, 2014, 10:33:38 am

Piku, For a drain pan I took a plastic 30 gallon barrel that was given to me by a local business and using a jig saw cut it down to just fit under the engine drain. I also cut it so that I have handles that make it easier to handle. I then pour the used oil in a used 5 gallon Rotella bucket with the lid still on and then it goes to the recycling center. I buy oil in 5 gallon or sometimes in 2.5 gallon containers, they are a Little hard to handle but I save a little money.
Gary B

Re: Good Mechanic

Reply #23 – January 24, 2014, 11:23:33 am

Where do you save money on 5 gal buckets? When I priced it out on amazon, ebay, etc. they cost more than the 1 gal @ $21 and some change per gallon. I am talking about Rotella T6. I am going to use a rubbermaid tub which I'll test with water before I try to put oil in it and spill it. I won't heat the engine up as much as I normally would. In the future I can change the oil up north where I have facilities and large drain pans available from family.

Re: Good Mechanic

Reply #24 – January 24, 2014, 01:36:23 pm

I also recommend Paul Yasbeck in Leesburg 813-382-0869
He really knows Foretravels and is very good.
I have had him do a bunch of work on my 320 and have been pleased.

Affiliate Notice